The problem is as my vault there are many different connections between notes and it’s getting cluttered. That said I don’t think it needs to get cluttered like this . as different links hold different levels of importance and thus there should be a way to reflect this.
Proposed solution
My solution to this problem would be to add some sort of priority modifier to the note link syntax possibly something like this [[this is my linked note| i linked this [10]]] or this [[5:this is my linked note| i linked this ]]. Where 5 is the default weight and it goes from 0-10.
This would allow obsidian to reduce the gravity between notes with a lower priority and or also dim the connection line or vice versa while allowing the direct connection to remain.
An example would be a 5 will be normal … a 0 would not even show the connection line but still link to the other note while a 10 would have a very bold line and gravity would be so strong they right next to each other.
Current workaround (optional)
The current workaround is to create empty intermediate notes to reduce the gravity between two items… or if I don’t want the link graphed using an intermediate note in an ignored file.
Hi Caspen, I just had the same idea and typed weight and heaviness into the search engine. Your post hits it. Weights would help a lot in decision making. A connection between weight and gravity and the graphic representation would also be important here.
I like your system too. I will use it until Gravity can be used automatically in Obsidian. In the graphics view, I envision a slider just below the deep local view slider.
I’m an Obsidian Newb. Not sure how to ‘upvote this’ but wondered if any progress has been made, or other workarounds found, or plugins created? This would be hugely useful for me.
I’m an Obsidian/DEVONthink (DT) new user. Obsidian for mapping knowledge and DT for reading and organizing PDF-based research literature. My intent is take my output of DT and input to Obsidian. Before really diving into the nuts and bolts of the combined use of these two separate apps, I’m trying to develop the key use case that I haven’t seen met yet. The general idea I glean from this particular set of descriptions for a feature request is very close to the key use case I’m trying to define.
The use case involves the concept “[…]Bayes’ core insight of gradually getting closer to the truth by constantly updating in proportion to the weight of the evidence.”
I’m looking for a way to enable reading a new research paper that changes the strength of the “truth” of a node in a knowledge map. Research to a certain point in publication time might say “compound Z enters a cell” but technology might not exist yet to say which part of the cell. A new paper presents a new technology that now strengthens the evidence for saying the compound enters the mitochondria. Or, conversely, it might say it doesn’t actually enter the cell because reasons.
Other commenters in this feature request have described using link thickness or color or gravity as a means. @caspen describes a potential solution that appears to account for the potential for a piece of evidence to increase or decrease the represented “truth” of a node by the use of a 0-10 scale defaulted to 5 with new links to that node sliding it down or up as appropriate. “It” might be line thickness or color or gravity.
@RSnack mentions Obsidian just using link count as the weight determining mechanism but that wouldn’t account for a link which acts to decrease the Bayesian “truth” of the node. @caspen original “Use case or problem” section uses the term “levels of importance”. Based on wanting to address clutter in their case, it may be a different concept from the use case I’m trying to describe of updating the “truth” of a node with new information.
My use case:
I have ‘documents’ and ‘topics’ objects. The relevance score of a document to a topic can vary from 0 to 1.
I wish I could have wider links and/or shorter distances between a document node and a topic node when the relevance score is higher.
In my opinion this feature would add much value to the graph, and I doubt it can be done with a separate plugin.